By John Weiss

Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

BYRON -- When Nicholas Jorgensen's dad was deployed to Kosovo and Iraq, they had to miss their traditional deer hunt together.

The boy, now 16, loved the time in the woods with his dad, Allen Jorgensen.

In October, however, he made up for those missed hunts. The Byron High School sophomore shot a large elk in the Rockies because he won an essay he wrote titled "What Hunting Means to Me." His dad was with him the whole hunt.

The contest was for children of those now deployed, wounded in combat or honorably discharged. It was sponsored by the owner of Elkhorn Outfitters in Craig, Colo., and Jim Zumbo, host of an outdoors TV show.

Besides missing the hunting, Nicholas said he also had the fear something would happen to his dad. "You just miss him," he said. "You try not to stress about it too much, though."

Allen was on active Army duty for nearly 10 years before leaving that and joining the Army National Guard. He now works for the guard as a civilian contractor, helping guard members learn about their benefits.

In late May, he saw something on a national guard Web site about the contest and suggested Nick do an essay. After all, both loved to hunt, often in South Dakota where Allen grew up.

Besides, he and his wife, Zulbiye Jorgensen, like to keep Nicholas and his sister, Maia, 9, busy during the summer. Why not have him write the essay?

Nick hesitated. "I didn't think it was a going to be a good idea until I won," he said.

In the essay, he wrote about his dad's service to his country. "My dad's commitment to serving our nation started way before I was born, and it still continues," he wrote.

The boy continued by telling how he missed two deer hunting trips because his dad was deployed overseas.

He missed that. "I have been hunting with my dad ever since I have been a very little kid," he wrote. "Hunting means quite a lot to me. It means I can spend time with my dad and friends and learn about hunting as a sport."

He told of how his dad encouraged him in hunting, even when he missed his shots. And he told how he finally got a deer.

Even when Nicholas was young, he loved to go along hunting. "I would tell him it was time to go; he would jump out of bed right away," Allen said.

Allen didn't realize until after reading the essay, however, how much it meant.

"It was neat," he said. "It was his work, his perspective. He mentioned things I might have forgotten about."

The two drove to Colorado in mid-October. They met other essay winners, sighted in rifles and rode horses up to a higher camp for the hunt that was to begin Oct. 19. The first morning, their guide heard elk bugling and was able to find a herd. He found a big bull and Nicholas shot it.

That made up for the two missed hunting trips, Nicholas said.

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